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Restaurant Highlights

Sara – Healthy Fusion Restaurant in Okinawa is located in Onnason, Okinawa. Sara is a wonderful healthy restaurant, that combines fresh local natural ingredients to create French, Italian and Japanese fusion specialties that are not to be missed.

Chef Akiyuki Nasu is the secret weapon behind this delicious fare. Nasu was born and raised in Miyazaki until he left for Tokyo at age eighteen and worked at Nicolas in Roppongi, the first pizza place in Japan, established in 1954. This was the start of his love for Italian cooking and when his passion to become a professional chef was born. From there he branched out to study French food in Shibuya before returning to Kyushu and opening an Italian place of his own. He also traveled extensively in Europe to study the techniques for making natural prosciutto and seafood dishes.

After extensive travel and picking up culinary secreats from around the world, Akiyuki moved to Okinawa in 2005 where he met his wife Ryoko, and opened Sara – Natural & Healthy Restaurant in Okinawa (Saranouenoshizen il Gastro Sara). Here he is at home with his food and family. He has appeared on food specials on various television channels including Asahi TV and Nihon TV and is also a consultant for restaurants and food and drink TV commercials.

Akiyuki’s early days in the countryside of Kyushu on his family farm, surrounded by an abundance of natural vegetables and seafood, combined with his study and experience with European cuisine have created what his friends and family like to call a “Food Maestro”. Give him any fresh ingredients and a medley of wonderful dishes will be composed in front of your eyes. His son, Takeho Nasu joined Sara in 2010 with his personal mission to learn from his dad and keep the recipes going for a new generation. He studied Italian cuisine in Tokyo and was then off to Milano to continue his studies of food and wine. He now works closely with his father and Ryoko with the intention to not only pass-on the recipes, but to further modify and create his own masterpieces.

This restaurant is cozy. Ryoko and Akiyuki will warmly welcome you to their culinary home, an intimate dining room and open kitchen with Teppan grill and views of the blue ocean. Be sure to try the signature dish, “Picasso soup”, a vichyssoise-based palate pleaser that is creamy and fresh with a unique colorful artistic flair. Other than that you are best to leave it to the chefs to deliver their recommended menu based on the fresh ingredients and inspiration of the day. Please call in advance for course reservations to experience to Akiyuki’s food composition. There is no ala carte dinner menu. Please also let them know if you have any special food requests, allergies or desire a vegetarian menu. They can do it all. They have a café menu at lunchtime, but best to call for a reservation as it is a popular place.

As the food arrives you will quickly realize that this is more like a visit to a friend’s home, although most friends probably cannot create meals like these two chefs.